A day before 67.5 million Filipino troop to polling centers, the Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed 16 validated cases of violent election-related incidents (ERIs) across the country since the election period started on January 9 with the gun ban. In a virtual press conference on Sunday, PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said the number was much lower than 133 in the 2016 national and 60 in the 2019 mid-term polls. Gun ban violators and confiscated firearms were likewise 50 percent lower than in the two previous elections. Overall as of Sunday, 3,081 have been arrested and 2,459 firearms were seized.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte is eager to resume his motorcycle-riding activities when he was still mayor in Davao City after he steps down from office in June, saying he would track down criminals like he used to. “Now that I won’t be President anymore, nobody can dictate what I do. I will go riding on a motorcycle and roam around the… And I’ll search for drug peddlers, shoot them and kill them,” he said in Bisaya in a speech during the Hugpong ng Pagbabago miting de avance on Friday night. Duterte warned criminals, especially drug smugglers, not to let their

Commission on Higher Education chairperson J. Prospero “Popoy” de Vera on Sunday questioned a tweet made by online news website Rappler claiming that Antonio “Tony” Esquelador Jr., a man born without legs, received a scholarship from the Office of the Vice President Leni Robredo. In a tweet dated May 6, Rappler shared photos of 30-year-old Esquelador with the Mayon volcano as backdrop and described him as “a scholar of the VP for the last five years” in its caption. Rappler said Esquelador Jr. of Barangay Puro, Legazpi City, was making his way through 5 kilometers to join the May 6

The Philippine Women’s National Team looks to build on its recent success as it vies in the 31st Southeast Asian Games women’s football competition starting Monday here. The Filipinas, who qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time after reaching the AFC Women’s Asian Cup semifinals in India early this year, open their campaign against Cambodia at 7 p.m. in Group A on Monday at Cam Pha Stadium. Filipinas coach Alen Stajcic will have 20 players at his disposal for the tournament although two key names from the Asian Cup will not be around to fuel their

Presidential frontrunner Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his running mate Inday Sara Duterte capped the official campaign period with a very successful miting de avance attended by hundreds of thousands of supporters at the Solaire open grounds in Parañaque City on Saturday. The BBM-Sara’s final miting de avance erased all previous crowd estimates during the grueling 90-day campaign trail that started last February 8. In his speech, Marcos also said the people’s support for the UniTeam in the upcoming polls is a vote for unity and progress of the country. “Alalahanin din po ninyo na ang suporta po ninyo sa

The Philippine beach handball team snatched its second straight victory at the expense of Singapore, 22-19, 22-16, at Tuan Chau Island in Quang Ninh Province here on Sunday. The win was a fitting follow-up to the Filipinos’ 18-16, 18-16 upset of Thailand, which clinched silver in the 2019 Philippines Games, two days ago. Meanwhile, Andriane Drake finished fourth—and last—in the women’s 1-meter springboard of diving on Sunday afternoon, a performance that could augur well for the youngster in future Southeast Asian Games. Only 17 and a SEA Games first-timer, Drake was ranged against experienced divers Nur Dhabitah Sabri and Kimberly